A Narrative of the expedition of Hernando de Soto

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HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS

LOUISIANA,

EMBRACING TRANSLATIONS OF

MANY RARE AND VALUABLE DOCUMENTS

RELATING TO THE

NATURAL, CIVIL AND POLITICAL

HISTORY OF THAT STATE.

COMPILED WITH

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES,

AND AN

INTRODUCTION,

BY B. F. FRENCH,

_Member of the Louisiana Historical Society; of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Honorary Member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Corresponding Member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, etc., etc._

PART II.

PHILADELPHIA: DANIELS AND SMITH.

_New York_, G. P. PUTNAM; _Boston_, LITTLE AND BROWN; _New Orleans_, B. M. NORMAN; _London_, JOHN CHAPMAN; _Paris_, GALIGNANI AND CO. 1850.

Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1850, by

B. F. FRENCH,

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

PHILADELPHIA: PRINTED BY T. K. & P. G. COLLINS.

TO THE

MEMBERS OF THE LOUISIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

THIS VOLUME

IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED

BENJAMIN F. FRENCH.

[The following is an excerpt from this volume. (note of etext transcriber.)]

A NARRATIVE

OF THE

EXPEDITION OF HERNANDO DE SOTO

INTO

FLORIDA.

BY A GENTLEMAN OF ELVAS.

PUBLISHED AT EVORA 1557.

TRANSLATED FROM THE PORTUGUESE

RICHARD HACKLUYT.

LONDON, 1609.

CAPTAIN SOTO was the son of a squire of _Xerez of Badajoz_. He went into the Spanish _Indies_, when _Peter Arias_ of _Avila_ was Governor of the _West Indies_. And there he was without anything else of his own, save his sword and target: and for his good qualities and valor, _Peter Arias_ made him captain of a troop of horsemen, and by his commandment he went with _Fernando Pizarro_ to the conquest of _Peru_: where (as many persons of credit reported, which were there present) as well at the taking of _Atabalipa_, Lord of _Peru_, as at the assault of the city of _Cusco_, and in all other places where they found resistance, wheresoever he was present, he passed all other captains and principal persons. For which cause, besides his part of the treasure of _Atabalipa_, he had a good share; whereby in time he gathered a hundred and four score thousand ducats together, with that which fell to his part; which he brought into Spain; whereof the Emperor borrowed a certain part, which he repaid again with 60,000 rials of plate in the rent of the silks of _Granada_, and all the rest was delivered him in the contractation house of _Seville_. He took servants to wit, a steward, a gentleman usher, pages, a gentleman of the horse, a chamberlain, lackeys, and all other officers that the house of a noble may require. From _Seville_ he went to the court, and in the court, there accompanied him _John Danusco_ of _Seville_, and _Lewis Moscoso D'Alvarado_, _Nuno de Touar_, and _John Rodriguez Lobillo_. Except _John Danusco_, all the rest came with him from _Peru_: and every one of them brought fourteen or fifteen thousand ducats: all of them went well and costly appareled. And although _Soto_ of his own nature was not liberal, yet because that was the first time that he was to show himself in the court, he spent frankly, and went accompanied with those which I have named, and with his servants, and many others which resorted unto him. He married with _Donna Isabella de Bobadilla_, daughter of _Peter Arias_ of _Avila_, Earl of _Punno en Rostro_. The Emperor made him the Governor of the Isle of _Cuba_, and Adelantado or President of _Florida_; with a title of Marquis of certain part of the lands that he should conquer.

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